Moths of North Carolina
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Common Name:
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View PDFTortricidae Members:
Corticivora Members:
2 NC Records

Corticivora chica Brown, 1984 - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: GrapholitiniP3 Number: 51a1273.52n MONA Number: 3446.10
Comments: This is one of three congeneric species that are found in North America north of Mexico (Brown, 1994).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Brown (1994)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: All three of the species in this genus are very small -- Brown (1984) described them as the smallest tortricids occurring in North America. Corticivora chica and C. parva are indistinguishable based on outward appearance, and the description of C. parva by Brown (1984) applies to this species. The following description is primarily from that of Brown (1984). The head and palps are creamy white, and the scape of the antenna has elongated scales that cover the pedicel. The thorax and ground of the forewing is creamy white with intermixed amounts of light grayish brown. The forewing ground is overlain with two brown to bronzy-brown bands that extend from the inner margin to the costa. The first is at one-fourth and often fills the entire basal region to form a patch, while the second occurs just beyond the middle and terminates in the subtornal region. Both bands have an outer edge that is more-or-less straight. A subapical spot is also usually present that can range from a small spot to a larger patch. The interfascial area between the basal and median band often has a thin, dark, broken line. The outer wing margin has a line of dark spots, and the fringe is grayish brown with white tips. The hindwing is light grayish brown with a concolorous fringe.

All three species in this genus have similar wing patterns, Corticivora parva and C. chica are indistinguishable based on outward appearance and need to be dissected to confirm their identities. The latter species was only known from Florida when originally described but has since been found at one site along the coast of North Carolina. Specimens collected from coastal savannas in North Carolina should be dissected, while those from inland sites can be safely assumed to be C. parva.
Forewing Length: 3.0-5.5 mm (Brown, 1982)
Adult Structural Features: Brown (1994) has illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia and notes that the male of C. chica can be differentiated from both C. parva and C. clarki by the presence of large spines on the outer wall of the valva. The valva is also more arched apically in C. chica than in the other two species when viewed from the ventral side. The female of C. chica differs from C. parva and C. clarki in lacking sternal depressions, which are easily visible in intact, scaled specimens of the latter two species.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Corticivora chica is currently known from throughout the state of Florida and from a single record from Carteret County in North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed in Florida from March through early May, and again in August. As of 2022, our one record for North Carolina is from April 18.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Populations are typically found in pine forests in the Coastal Plain.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts have not been documented but Brown (1994) surmised that pines are the likely host based on collection data and the fact that a congener (C. clarki) is known to feed on pine bark. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S1-S2]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be rare in North Carolina, with only one known record.